PolicymakersPolicymakers
Introducing a new Quality Counts California dashboard for policymakers!
Filter content by
County Program Profile and Services
Search by county or ZIP code to display your county’s contact and impact information related to Quality Counts California.
orFeatured Content
-
Overview
We strengthen early learning and care to support children! Quality Counts California (QCC) is a statewide effort to support young children and their families by strengthening California’s early …
-
QCC Evaluation
On this QCC Evaluation page you will find QCC Program Briefs, QCC Shared Services Alliance Briefs, QCC Data and Evaluation Briefs, as well as Other QCC Briefs and Reports. QCC Program Briefs …
Regional Hub profiles
Regional hubs are a support mechanism that coordinate data collection and reporting for the consortia in their region.
Resources
Child Care Among California Households With Young Children Ages 0–5
This policy brief published in April 2025 uses data from the 2019–2023 California Health Interview Surveys to describe the child care experiences of households with young children ages 0–5.
-
California Strong Start Index
The Strong Start Index standardizes and summarizes the conditions into which children are born. Comprising twelve indicators that are universally measured, the California Strong Start Index can …
-
Key Learnings From First 5 California’s Shared Services Alliance Pilot
This brief summarizes the key highlights from the Shared Services Alliance Pilot as it approaches the end of the 2-year implementation period. Data from the contractors, partner agencies, and …
-
Building Adult Capabilities to Improve Child Outcomes: A Theory of Change
This 5-minute video from Harvard University’s Center on the Developing Child depicts a theory of change for achieving breakthrough outcomes for vulnerable children and families.
FAQs
See all FAQWhat is Quality Counts California (QCC)?
Quality Counts California (QCC) is a statewide initiative dedicated to supporting and improving the quality of early care and education throughout California. The goal of QCC is to ensure consistent high-quality early care and education experiences for California’s infants, toddlers, and preschool-aged children, whether in center-based or home-based programs.
The initiative is a partnership at the state level, by the California Department of Education (CDE), First 5 California (F5CA), and the California Department of Social Services (CDSS), and is implemented at the county or regional level through locally tailored and operated Quality Improvement Systems (QIS) and Quality Rating Improvement Systems (QRIS).
How does an early care and education program engage in continuous quality improvement?
Data-informed continuous quality improvement is planned by evaluating the program’s quality utilizing the Quality Continuum Framework: Measured Quality Elements. This allows programs to collect and report data on specific quality elements that improve teacher/child interactions and support child outcomes.
Help! Where to find support
If you have questions related to Quality Counts California, please complete the website contact form or email [email protected]. Recommend a resource for this audience.